Mortars and Pestles
Mortar and pestle implements have been used since ancient times to crush and grind substances into pastes or powders. Mortars can be made of hard substances like wood, metal, and ceramic, or hard stone like granite or marble. Pestles are held in the hand, and usually have a tapered, club-like shape. A wet or dry substance is placed in the mortar, and the pestle is pressed and rotated against it until the material is pulverized.
What’s the best material for a mortar and pestle?
The implements must be made of materials that are hard enough to crush the substance without wearing away, and they cannot be brittle or break from the pressure of manipulation. The material should also be cohesive to reduce chipping and non-porous to avoid absorbing or trapping the substances. Some rough porcelain mortar and pestles can reduce substances to very fine powders, but are brittle and stain more easily. Porcelain mortars can be pre-conditioned by grinding sand that gives them a rougher surface. Glass mortars and pestles are stain resistant and suitable for liquids, but are fragile and do not grind as finely as ceramic sets. Metal mortars and pestles are popular for food preparation.
Ingredients can be ground into each other to dilute, mask negative qualities, or add volume to facilitate handling through a process called trituration. Drugs can be finely ground when not available in liquid form, and supplements processed to be added for parenteral nutrition. Mortars and pestles are also used as drug paraphernalia.